Chennai, Oct 17 : A flood alert has been issued in Tamil Nadu's Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, and Tiruvannamalai districts, through which the Thenpennai River flows, following heavy rains in its catchment areas.

The respective district administrations have issued the alert.

Due to heavy rains in catchment areas of the Krishnagiri Reservoir Project (KRP) dam, 2,000 cusecs of water have been released from the dam.

A flood alert has also been issued for the Harur and Pappireddipatti areas following this release.

Fire and Rescue Services, along with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), are on standby.

The continuous rainfall in the catchment areas of the Thenpennai River has led to an immediate increase in the water inflow levels at the KRP dam.

Dharmapuri District Collector K. Santhi has issued a flood alert along the banks of the Thenpennai River due to the release of water and has warned people to stay away from the river basin. Revenue officials in Dharmapuri told IANS that inflow levels at the Thenpennai have been rising since Monday.

Following the release of 2,000 cusecs of water from the KRP dam on Wednesday night, water levels along the river banks have increased. According to district revenue authorities, inflow levels could reach around 2,500 cusecs.

Officials have made announcements in villages bordering the Thenpennai River, urging residents to stay away from the river and its banks. The weather department stated that the rain was expected to shift to other northern districts, including Ranipet and Vellore, by the evening. Winds with speeds reaching up to 60 kmph are likely over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal.

The State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) are on standby at 26 locations across Chennai, Kancheepuram, Chengalpattu, and Tiruvallur districts. The Tamil Nadu government has also reported that 219 boats are ready for deployment for rain-related tasks in Chennai and other parts of the state.

The northeast monsoon is expected to set in Tamil Nadu on October 20, five days earlier than usual, which typically occurs either nine days before or after the expected date. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) reported that a well-marked low-pressure area has intensified into a depression over the southwest Bay of Bengal, currently located about 490 km southeast of Chennai. It was expected to cross the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts between Puducherry and Nellore, near Chennai, on Thursday.

/IANS